# 可憐
## Chinese
### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Standard)
       (Pinyin): kělián
       (Zhuyin): ㄎㄜˇ ㄌㄧㄢˊ
    (Xi'an, Guanzhong Pinyin): kèlian
* Cantonese
    (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): ho$^2$ lin$^4$
    (Taishan, Wiktionary): ho$^2$ len$^3$
* Gan (Wiktionary): ko$^3$ lien$^4$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): khó-lièn
    (Hailu, HRS): ko$^ˊ$ lien
* Eastern Min (BUC): kō̤-lèng
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): khó-lîn / khóⁿ-lîn / khó-liân
    (Teochew, Peng'im): ko$^2$ liêng$^5$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: kělián
*** Zhuyin: ㄎㄜˇ ㄌㄧㄢˊ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: kělián
*** Wade–Giles: kʻo$^3$-lien$^2$
*** Yale: kě-lyán
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: keelian
*** Palladius: кэлянь (kɛljanʹ)
*** Sinological IPA : /kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ li̯ɛn³⁵/
** (Xi'an)
*** Guanzhong Pinyin: kèlian
*** Sinological IPA : /kʰɤ⁵³ liã/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: ho$^2$ lin$^4$
*** Yale: hó lìhn
*** Cantonese Pinyin: ho$^2$ lin$^4$
*** Guangdong Romanization: ho$^2$ lin$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /hɔː³⁵ liːn²¹/
** (Taishanese, Taicheng)
*** Wiktionary: ho$^2$ len$^3$
*** Sinological IPA : /hᵘɔ⁵⁵ len²²/
* Gan
** (Nanchang)
*** Wiktionary: ko$^3$ lien$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /kʰo²¹³⁻¹³ liɛn³⁵/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: khó-lièn
*** Hakka Romanization System: ko$^ˋ$ lien$^ˇ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: ko$^3$ lian$^2$
*** Sinological IPA: /kʰo³¹ li̯en¹¹/
** (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
*** Hakka Romanization System: ko$^ˊ$ lien
*** Sinological IPA: /kʰo²⁴⁻³³ lien⁵⁵/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: kō̤-lèng
*** Sinological IPA : /kʰo³³⁻²¹ l̃ɛiŋ⁵³/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, variant in Taiwan)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: khó-lîn
*** Tâi-lô: khó-lîn
*** Phofsit Daibuun: qoyliin
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /kʰɤ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ lin²³/
*** IPA (Xiamen, Taipei): /kʰo⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lin²⁴/
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /kʰo⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lin¹³/
** (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Philippines)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: khóⁿ-lîn
*** Tâi-lô: khónn-lîn
*** Phofsit Daibuun: qvofliin
*** IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Philippines): /kʰɔ̃⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ lin²⁴/
** (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: khó-liân
*** Tâi-lô: khó-liân
*** Phofsit Daibuun: qoylieen
*** IPA (Taipei): /kʰo⁵³⁻⁴⁴ liɛn²⁴/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /kʰɤ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ liɛn²³/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: ko$^2$ liêng$^5$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: khó liêng
*** Sinological IPA : /kʰo⁵²⁻³⁵ lieŋ⁵⁵/
* Middle Chinese: khaX len
Rime :
| Character | 可 | 憐 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 溪 (29) | 來 (37) |
| Final (韻) | 歌 (94) | 先 (85) |
| Tone (調) | Rising (X) | Level (Ø) |
| Openness (開合) | Open | Open |
| Division (等) | I | IV |
| Fanqie | 枯我切 | 落賢切 |
| Baxter | khaX | len |
| Reconstructions |||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /kʰɑ$^X$/ | /len/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /kʰɑ$^X$/ | /len/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /kʰɑ$^X$/ | /lɛn/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /kʰa$^X$/ | /lɛn/ |
| Li Rong | /kʰɑ$^X$/ | /len/ |
| Wang Li | /kʰɑ$^X$/ | /lien/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /kʰɑ$^X$/ | /lien/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | kě | lián |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | ho$^2$ | lin$^4$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*[k]ʰˤa[j]ʔ rˤiŋ/
    (Zhengzhang): /*kʰaːlʔ riːn/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 可 | 憐 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | kě | lián |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ kha$^X$ › | ‹ len › |
| Old Chinese | /*[k]ʰˁa[j]ʔ/ | /*rˁiŋ/ |
| English | may; acceptable | love; pity |
| Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary. |||
Zhengzhang system (2003) :
| Character | 可 | 憐 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| No. | 7446 | 8193 |
| Phonetic component | 可 | 粦 |
| Rime group | 歌 | 眞 |
| Rime subdivision | 1 | 1 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 可 | 蓮 |
| Old Chinese | /*kʰaːlʔ/ | /*riːn/ |

### Verb

可憐
* to have pity on; to pity
    我很可憐他。／我很可怜他。 ― Wǒ hěn kělián tā. ― I feel sorry for him.
       Kělián shēnshàng yī zhèng dān, xīn yōu tàn jiàn yuàn tiān hán. [Pinyin]
       (please add an English translation of this usage example)
    From: 《隴西行四首/陇西行四首》, Chen Tao, ninth century CE
    Shì sǎo Xiōngnú bù gù shēn, wǔ qiān diāojǐn sàng hú chén. Kělián Wúdìng Hé biān gǔ, yóu shì chūnguī mèng lǐ rén. [Pinyin]
    Having sworn to conquer the Huns, they did not care for their lives; five thousand brocade and marten [uniforms] were lost amid the barbarian dusts. I pity these skeletons on the banks of the Wuding; they are still the men in the dreams of the women's quarters.

#### Synonyms

* 同情 (tóngqíng)
* 哀憐 / 哀怜 (āilián)
* 哀矜 (āijīn) (literary)
* 心疼 (xīnténg)
* 悲憫 / 悲悯 (bēimǐn)
* 惻隱 / 恻隐 (cèyǐn) (formal)
* 憐惜 / 怜惜 (liánxī)
* 憐憫 / 怜悯 (liánmǐn)
* 矜憫 / 矜悯 (jīnmǐn) (literary)
* 罪過 / 罪过 (Wu)

### Adjective

可憐
* pitiful; pitiable; poor
    可憐的孩子／可怜的孩子 ― kělián de háizi ― poor kid
    From: Zhuangzi, circa 3rd – 2nd centuries BCE
    Wǎngwǎng hū rǔ yù fǎn rǔ qíngxìng ér wúyóu rù, kělián zāi! [Pinyin]
    You are at your wit's end. You wish to recover your proper nature, and you know not what step to take first to find it. You are to be pitied!
    From: 《可憐妓詩》 ("Poem to the Courtesan Garyeon"), Kim Byeong'yeon (金炳淵), c. 1830
    Garyeon haengsaek garyeon sin, Garyeon munjeon bang Garyeon. Garyeon cha ui jeon Garyeon, Garyeon neung ji garyeon sim. [Sino-Korean]
    With a pitiable gait, my pitiable self calls for Garyeon in front of her door. I convey to her my pitiable intention; surely she'll understand my pitiable heart.
* meager; negligible (of a number or amount)
* (literary) lovely
    From: 《淸平調詞三首/清平调词三首》, Li Bai, 800s
    Jiè wèn Hàn gōng shuí dé sì, kělián fēiyàn yǐ xīn zhuāng. [Pinyin]
    I ask: who in palaces of the Han can approach her like? Even the lovely Feiyan must dress up anew.
    From: 《贈還甲宴老人》 ("For an Old Woman on her Sixtieth Birthday"), Kim Byeong'yeon (金炳淵), c. 1830
    Garyeon gangpo mang, myeongsa sim ni ryeon. Yeong in gaegae seup, gongsu bumo nyeon. [Sino-Korean]
    How lovely it is to look at the riverbank; the bright sands stretch on for ten miles. I would make people pick up [and count] each and every [grain of sand]; may your parents' years be as innumerable as they.

#### Synonyms

| Variety | Location | Words |
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 可憐, 可憐見 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Taiwan | 可憐 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Xi'an | 可憐 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan) | 孽障 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Chengdu | 造孽 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Guiyang | 造孽 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | 陰功, 冇陰功, 可憐 |
| Cantonese | Dongguan | 陰功 |
| Gan | Nanchang | 可憐 |
| Gan | Pingxiang | 可憐 |
| Hakka | Miaoli (N. Sixian) | 可憐, 衰過 |
| Hakka | Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) | 可憐, 衰過 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) | 可憐, 衰過 |
| Hakka | Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) | 可憐, 衰過 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) | 可憐, 衰過 |
| Hakka | Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) | 苦憐 |
| Huizhou | Jixi | 造孽, 罪過 |
| Eastern Min | Fuzhou | 現世, 悲 |
| Southern Min | Xiamen | 可憐代 |
| Southern Min | Quanzhou | 可憐代 |
| Southern Min | Jinjiang | 可憐代 |
| Southern Min | Zhangzhou | 可憐代 |
| Southern Min | Tainan | 可憐代 GT |
| Southern Min | Penang (Hokkien) | 可憐代 |
| Southern Min | Manila (Hokkien) | 可憐代 |
| Wu | Shanghai | 罪過 |
| Wu | Hangzhou | 罪過 |
| Wu | Ningbo | 罪過 |
| Wu | Jinhua | 罪過 |
| Xiang | Changsha | 造孽 |
| Xiang | Loudi | 造孽 |

### Derived terms

* 一副可憐相 / 一副可怜相
* 可憐代 / 可怜代 (Hokkien)
* 可憐兮兮 / 可怜兮兮
* 可憐巴巴 / 可怜巴巴 (kěliánbābā)
* 可憐蟲 / 可怜虫 (kěliánchóng)
* 可憐見 / 可怜见 (kěliánjiàn)
* 少得可憐 / 少得可怜
* 楚楚可憐 / 楚楚可怜 (chǔchǔkělián)

## Japanese

Kanji in this term :
| 可 | 憐 |
| か Grade: 5 | れん Jinmeiyō |
| on'yomi ||

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) かれん [kàréń] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [ka̠ɾẽ̞ɴ]

### Adjective

可(か)憐(れん) • (karen) -na (adnominal 可(か)憐(れん)な (karen na), adverbial 可(か)憐(れん)に (karen ni))
* pretty, lovely
** 1919, 板倉勝宣, 山と雪の日記:
    ここから見(み)ると可憐(かれん)な山(やま)だ。
       Koko kara miru to karen na yama da.
       If you look over there you can see lovely mountains.
* pitiful
** 1932, 魯迅, 薬:
    ところがあの馬(うま)の骨(ほね)め、打(う)たれても平気(へいき)で、可憐(かれん)そうだ。
       Tokoro ga ano uma no hone me, utarete mo heiki de, karen sō da.
       Still, it's awfully sad to see that bony horse that doesn't even care when it gets hit.
    Synonyms: かわいそう, 気の毒

#### Inflection

Stem forms :
| Imperfective (未然形) | 可憐だろ | かれんだろ | karen daro |
| Continuative (連用形) | 可憐で | かれんで | karen de |
| Terminal (終止形) | 可憐だ | かれんだ | karen da |
| Attributive (連体形) | 可憐な | かれんな | karen na |
| Hypothetical (仮定形) | 可憐なら | かれんなら | karen nara |
| Imperative (命令形) | 可憐であれ | かれんであれ | karen de are |
| Key constructions ||||
| Informal negative | 可憐ではない 可憐じゃない | かれんではない かれんじゃない | karen de wa nai karen ja nai |
| Informal past | 可憐だった | かれんだった | karen datta |
| Informal negative past | 可憐ではなかった 可憐じゃなかった | かれんではなかった かれんじゃなかった | karen de wa nakatta karen ja nakatta |
| Formal | 可憐です | かれんです | karen desu |
| Formal negative | 可憐ではありません 可憐じゃありません | かれんではありません かれんじゃありません | karen de wa arimasen karen ja arimasen |
| Formal past | 可憐でした | かれんでした | karen deshita |
| Formal negative past | 可憐ではありませんでした 可憐じゃありませんでした | かれんではありませんでした かれんじゃありませんでした | karen de wa arimasen deshita karen ja arimasen deshita |
| Conjunctive | 可憐で | かれんで | karen de |
| Conditional | 可憐なら（ば） | かれんなら（ば） | karen nara (ba) |
| Provisional | 可憐だったら | かれんだったら | karen dattara |
| Volitional | 可憐だろう | かれんだろう | karen darō |
| Adverbial | 可憐に | かれんに | karen ni |
| Degree | 可憐さ | かれんさ | karensa |
Stem forms :
| Irrealis (未然形) | 可憐なら | かれんなら | karennara |
| Continuative (連用形) | 可憐に$^{[1]}$ 可憐なり$^{[2]}$ | かれんに かれんなり | karenni karennari |
| Terminal (終止形) | 可憐なり | かれんなり | karennari |
| Attributive (連体形) | 可憐なる | かれんなる | karennaru |
| Realis (已然形) | 可憐なれ | かれんなれ | karennare |
| Imperative (命令形) | 可憐なれ | かれんなれ | karennare |
| Key constructions ||||
| Negative | 可憐ならず | かれんならず | karennarazu |
| Contrasting conjunction | 可憐なれど | かれんなれど | karennaredo |
| Causal conjunction | 可憐なれば | かれんなれば | karennareba |
| Conditional conjunction | 可憐ならば | かれんならば | karennaraba |
| Past tense (firsthand knowledge) | 可憐なりき | かれんなりき | karennariki |
| Past tense (secondhand knowledge) | 可憐なりけり | かれんなりけり | karennarikeri |
| Adverbial | 可憐に | かれんに | karenni |
| $^{[1]}$Without auxiliary verb. $^{[2]}$With auxiliary verb. ||||

### Noun

可(か)憐(れん) • (karen)
* This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

### References

* ↑ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* ↑ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

## Korean

Hanja in this term :
| 可 | 憐 |

### Noun

可憐 • (garyeon) (hangeul 가련)
* hanja form of 가련 (“pitiful”)